Nematode communities in soil can exhibit important traits that serve as indicators of soil suppressiveness, particularly against root knot nematodes. Understanding the relationship between nematode community traits and soil suppressiveness can aid in the management of plant-parasitic nematodes and the promotion of healthy soil ecosystems. What are the specific nematode community traits that provide informative indicators of soil suppressiveness against root knot nematodes?
Nematodes have polyspecific communities comprising of varied trophic groups. In general, the higher relative abundance of bacteriophagous and mycophagous nematodes compared to that of the plant parasitic nemtodes such as root-knot nematodes, leads to reduced damage and reduced population growth of root-knot nematodes. Some reports indicate that presence of entomopathic Nematodes reducees population on the root.
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